Yemen can face similar end as Libya does – Yemeni opposition

“Lately mass media and the president have repeated that the positions of Russia and China differ from the American and European stances”

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MOSCOW, October 24 (Itar-Tass) — The Libyan scenario can repeat in Yemen if the Yemeni authorities do not start stepping down from office by peaceful means, said Abdul Wahab Al Ansi, Secretary-General of the Islamist Al-Islah Party.

“No doubt, the death of Al Gaddafi, who was earlier a stimulus for the authorities – there was a hope that he would win, is interpreted with irritation. The authorities are doing everything possible to distract the people,” Al Ansi told Russia Today on Monday.

“This proves the fact that the authorities [in Yemen] feel at a disadvantage – the government in Yemen follows the same way that Libya went and it face the same end as the Libyan government does,” the opposition leader said.

“Lately mass media and the president have repeated that the positions of Russia and China differ from the American and European stances,” he said commenting on the recent visit to Moscow.

“During the meeting, we made sure that Russia was well-informed on the events in Yemen. We are satisfied with the fact that our position was understood because this would meet the interests of Yemen and the future of Russian-Yemeni relations,” Al Ansi added.

Last week the Yemeni opposition delegation visited Moscow. It involved Secretary-General of the Yemeni Socialist Party Yassin Noaman and Abdul Wahab Al Ansi of the Islamist Al-Islah Party. Observers noted that the opposition representatives were serious political figures in the country.

Leader of the Yemeni coalition Mohammed Salem Basindwa told Itar-Tass that the opposition sought support of Russia.

The opposition members met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. After the talks, Basindwa said, “We are satisfied with the meeting with the foreign minister. Our position found mutual understanding.”

“Russia will support the people of Yemen in order to ensure peace in the country as soon as possible. If the situation in the country is discussed at the U.N. Security Council, Russia will come in favour with the people of Yemen,” the Yemeni coalition leader stressed.

Earlier this month, Lavrov called for convincing the warring sides in Yemen to come to an agreement.

“It is important to convince the sides to come to an agreement, which will allow both parties to reach national reconciliation and overcome the current deepest crisis,” he said.

According to the Russian minister, Russia and Djibouti actively cooperate in the settlement of the situation in Yemen.

“We are concerned over the escalation of tension. We insist Ethiopian and Eritrean negotiators to comply with the U.N. Security Council resolutions on this aspect and the earlier reached Algerian agreements,” Lavrov stressed.

In addition, Al Ansi said Yemen did not require interference from outside.

“We do not require any outside or regional interference,” he stressed. “The complications in the country have emerged from activities of the regime.”

On the contrary, he continued, Yemen’s president is interested in having the Persian Gulf countries interfere with home affairs of the country.

“He [the president] uses time to slide into a force scenario,” the oppositional leader continued. Otherwise, he forecasts a civil war.

“We hope that Russia as a member of the UN Security Council will support us,” he continued. “Russian leaders understand correctly the situation in Yemen and we plan to develop relations with Russia in the interests of peace.”

The UN Security Council appealed to all the parties to the Yemeni conflict on September 24 to quit violence, including that against unarmed civilian population, and to show self-control. It also called on the Yemeni sides to start a transitional political process open to everyone and led by the Yemenis on the basis of the initiative of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (CCASG), which met the interests and needs of the Yemeni people.

CCASG countries, which acted as intermediaries in the Yemeni conflict settlement on April 3, 2011, think that Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh should immediately sign the plan of power transfer they have offered. Saleh kept accepting and rejecting the initiative since then.

The president was heavily injured in Sana’a on June 3 and spent three months of therapy in Saudi Arabia. He returned to the home country last Friday and said on the next day that he would step down soon. His return to the country caused a new outbreak of popular protests. Since then 130 people died and several hundreds were injured.